DREDGE MAWHERA ARRIVES AT LYTTELTON.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13337, 1 February 1909, Page 9

DREDGE MAWHERA ARRIVES AT LYTTELTON.

" The Greymouth HaTbour Board's new dredger arrived at Lytitelton on Saturday night. After the vessel was -moored, Car/tain H. Wayman gave a "Press" reporter a ethort account of the voyag©. A direoWef, with all her machinery set up, end with her heavy t»p,'hamper, is necessarily a very uncomfortable vessel'in -which td make ft voyage round the world. Leaving every rJort, deeply laden with coal, the Ma.wheT« wbs like a '•half-tide rock," tut it was when she commenced to lighten that sho nsode matters more unpleasant for those on 1)01116!. Captain Wayman said that on the finest days slie was wet on deck, and the cabiri and forecaetle were continually being flooded. The watch on deck always had a, nioro of less uncomfortable time, ana were always prepered to g«t r ducking. The Mawhera was exactly 99 days 7 hours from the time of le«iving Renfrew until ehe reached Lyttelton, i and of this time roughly about 14 days were I /spent in coaling at. the porta touched at en ir»ute. The veesel ranintamed an average speed of 7.3 knots. Many p were surprised to notice that the vessel's buckets were secured on the ladder for the passage out The ladder itself was kept up with heavy timbers, .and secured with stout chains, fcrhile tho lower end, which pfbjects about twelve or fifteen feet beyond the stern,* was'a-lweys under water: The vessel catne out without damage, but tho hull and all standing steel work is heavily coated with rust. Sho will be dttcked about the end of the work for an overWui, and will, be thoroughly cleaned and painted before proceedinff <o Oreyuicuth. A full description of I this fine dredger, which is similar to the I "VVhakuriri at Wellingtcru and the Bluff and fytl'tmern dredges, appeared in Saturday's issitp I of "The Press." It is -understood that the new who brought tho Mftwhere out from Sojtlotid will be paid off in Lyttelton.